It had been an effort to him to break the rule.

It was no effort now to decide to keep it.
So he jumped into his flannels and took his beloved bat, and made a long score that morning against Wake's bowling, and was happy.

Felgate mentally abused him for his pusillanimity, but saw no reason, for all that, for not turning the incident to account.

He proclaimed poor Sherriffs wrongs to a few of the other malcontents.
"It's hard lines," said he, "that just because of this wretched rule, Sherriff is to lose his scholarship.

He can't possibly win it unless he's able to read every moment of his time; and that our grave and reverend seniors don't mean to allow." "Brutal shame," said Munger, "hounding him down like that I've half a mind to stick out." "That's what Sherriff said," sneered Felgate, "but he had to knuckle under." "Catch me knuckling under!" said Munger.
He stayed away the next practice day, and, much to his mortification, nobody took the slightest notice of his absence.
"You see," said Felgate, "if only one or two of you stand steady, they can't compel you to play.